The Egoist eBook

“Ah! You are driving one of Mr. Merriman’s
witticisms at me, Horace; I am dense.”

Willoughby bowed to Dr. Middleton, and drew him from
Vernon, filially taking his turn to talk with him
closely.

De Craye saw Clara’s look as her father and
Willoughby went aside thus linked.

It lifted him over anxieties and casuistries concerning
loyalty. Powder was in the look to make a warhorse
breathe high and shiver for the signal.

CHAPTER XXIV

CONTAINS AN INSTANCE OF THE GENEROSITY OF WILLOUGHBY

Observers of a gathering complication and a character
in action commonly resemble gleaners who are intent
only on picking up the cars of grain and huddling
their store. Disinterestedly or interestedly they
wax over-eager for the little trifles, and make too
much of them. Observers should begin upon the
precept, that not all we see is worth hoarding, and
that the things we see are to be weighed in the scale
with what we know of the situation, before we commit
ourselves to a measurement. And they may be accurate
observers without being good judges. They do
not think so, and their bent is to glean hurriedly
and form conclusions as hasty, when their business
should be sift at each step, and question.

Miss Dale seconded Vernon Whitford in the occupation
of counting looks and tones, and noting scraps of
dialogue. She was quite disinterested; he quite
believed that he was; to this degree they were competent
for their post; and neither of them imagined they
could be personally involved in the dubious result
of the scenes they witnessed. They were but anxious
observers, diligently collecting. She fancied
Clara susceptible to his advice: he had fancied
it, and was considering it one of his vanities.
Each mentally compared Clara’s abruptness in
taking them into her confidence with her abstention
from any secret word since the arrival of Colonel
De Craye. Sir Willoughby requested Laetitia to
give Miss Middleton as much of her company as she could;
showing that he was on the alert. Another Constantia
Durham seemed beating her wings for flight. The
suddenness of the evident intimacy between Clara and
Colonel De Craye shocked Laetitia; their acquaintance
could be computed by hours. Yet at their first
interview she had suspected the possibility of worse
than she now supposed to be; and she had begged Vernon
not immediately to quit the Hall, in consequence of
that faint suspicion. She had been led to it by
meeting Clara and De Craye at her cottage-gate, and
finding them as fluent and laughter-breathing in conversation
as friends. Unable to realize the rapid advance
to a familiarity, more ostensible than actual, of two
lively natures, after such an introduction as they
had undergone: and one of the two pining in a
drought of liveliness: Laetitia listened to their
wager of nothing at all—­a no against a yes—­in
the case of poor Flitch; and Clara’s, “Willoughby